Cab drivers held a protest outside city hall today as a long awaited hearing over the legality of Uber got underway inside a University Avenue courtroom.
Taxi drivers from Toronto and across the GTA gathered at Yonge Street and Queen’s Quay at around 9:30 a.m. before driving together to city hall.
The protest was held to show support for the city as it seeks a court injunction that would prevent Uber from operating on Toronto streets.
Last month, a similar protest along Bay Street and directly in front of Nathan Phillips Square on Queen Street tied up traffic for several hours around lunch time.
“We support the city in taking this unlicensed company to court and applying for an injunction. Private gain should not outweigh public safety,” iTaxi Workers Association President Sajid Mughal said in a press release. “The licensed taxi drivers are asking for fairness and a level playing field. No one should be operating outside of the law.”
While taxi drivers have been conducting an exhaustive campaign against Uber’s presence in the city, others, including Mayor John Tory, have suggested that the service is likely here to stay and that the regulatory framework must be amended to accommodate it.
Uber operates in 230 cities across the world and has frequently faced criticism from taxi drivers who say the service does not provide the same level of service and safety that licenced cabs do.
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